What kind of glass for face shield?

[ReLo442]

Noticing that my face gets really red after torchin for a while and it got me thinking about a face shield. What kind of glass do they use for the blast shields and similiar torch/bench mounted shields?

Regular glass I think would block the radiant heat, but none of the UV, or sodium flare.

I have seen big pieces of Rose dydidium (sp?) but its like $300. Lookin for other options

I looked into welding mask lenses but those are too dark to use since i wear my rose+ shade 3's already.

[B-Rye-oNeR]

look up "Blast Sheild " company you can buy just the replacement glass...I have an old one in the middle of my vent fan to keep the motor from getting too hot....works great

[Cornbread]

a google search for me returned a type of glass built in 1979 called Low-E glass. it has a thin metallic coating (im guessing similar to a dicro coating) that blocks most UV and IR light while allowing the visible spectrum to pass through. good luck on your search and let us know the results.

[broken glass]

I believe boro is the shield that comes standard on the blast shield. I paid i think 20$ extra and i got some ir glass that they use for kiln windows if I remember right. The problem with the IR glass is that it is kind of yellow and has a non smooth surface which distorts the eyes and was uncomfortable for me.

I tried cutting pieces of dichro and using them. It probably blocked some rays, but depending on what color dichro you use it will change the colors of the flame and glass heat base.

So now i am with the boro again. It stops a lot of heat and lets you see your work clearly.

Have a rose didudium coated flip visor too, but it has been retired, too much hassle flipping up and down, and they scratch easy

Also some swear by sunblock, I don't like to wear it, can't stand the smell and greesyness, but some do.

[Glassroots]

The blast shield IR glass does not block any significant amount of IR. What you need is the shade 5 which you can get inexpensively from most welding supply places. They are plastic and do wear out but should only run you $20 and last a couple years.

It's a flip down mask, wear your didys underneath and you'll be good. Heres what they look like.

[Cornbread]

The problem with the IR glass is that it is kind of yellow and has a non smooth surface which distorts the eyes and was uncomfortable for me.

i have looked in to buying a blast shield, but the "orange peel" texture of the glass is a turn off to me as well. maybe just a clear piece of boro will help block the radiant heat. this seems to be the most uncomfortable to me. maybe i should try out shaded face shield. they don't seem to appear any more comfortable though. my cheetah is enough to make my sensitive skin uncomfortable. i've ordered a mirage so when it gets here i need to have something figured out for the marbles. i wish i could hold a blast shield in my hands and see how bad the orange peel is.

[B-Rye-oNeR]

I use a blast shield, ..you don't have to look thru it for it to work. (unless you are sitting down with your torch completely parallel to the table, or your table is at eye-level) I usually have my torch pointed up at least a 45 angle, my piece is usually right over the top of the shield from my angle. Haven't had a tan, or a shirt logo nearly melt to me since I started using it. Some people don't like that it gets in the way when they pull the piece out of the flame, you may (will) bonk it a few times with your piece. You just have to get used to it being there. Also nice that it flips up and down, I'd rep blast shield. face shield sounds very uncomfortable to me.

[Glassroots]

Maybe see about getting a shade 5 plate for your blast shield or cutting a square from the mask out and putting it on your shield. They only run like $12.

The IR glass on the blast shield filters a minimal range of IR. There is a reason our glasses are so dark, they have to be to properly filter the the entire frequency length of IR.

If your working small stuff with a smaller torch, the IR glass from blast shield might work, or if your not that sensitive to the IR. But when I used the IR glass it did absolutely nothing. I'm running a delta, work pretty large, and am sensitive to the flame. Hope this helps,J

[ReLo442]

Thanks for all the posts guys. I def need to figure something out for this. My face gets really red after torching sometimes and I hate to think about the long run of how my face will look after 5,10,15 years of torching, not that im a model or something but who wants to look like a 80 year man when your 30.... I have been wrapping my face with a handkerchief lately and it helps a lot. The hankie does get hot as hell to the touch so I can see how much heat is really being directed towards my face. Im going to look into some boro sheets and see what I can come up with. I need to make a torch marver anyway so this will be the perfect time.